Zhang San grinned widely, picking up a torch and lighting it before handing it to Li Si. He gripped his blade tightly, standing guard at the cave entrance with alert eyes.
"You go first, brother," he said.
Li Si took the torch—but instead of stepping forward, he pressed it into Wei's palm and gestured toward the black, yawning mouth of the cave.
"You… you go in!"
Wei crouched slowly, accepting the torch without a word, and ducked into the narrow cave. The entrance constricted him at first, but a few steps in, the passage suddenly opened up. A cold wind swept from the depths, carrying dampness and the stale stench of decay. The cave twisted and turned, and the deeper he went, the larger the chambers became.
Wei held the torch high, scanning the walls. One after another, stone recesses were carved into the rock, like rows of tiny tombs. Oddly, each was sealed tightly with a heavy stone slab.
Li Si's eyes lit up, excitement bubbling uncontrollably in his voice.
"The boss's secret treasure has to be in here!"
He lunged at the nearest recess, straining to lift the stone slab. But as soon as it shifted, what it revealed wasn't treasure at all—it was a small coffin.
Li Si froze, staring in disbelief.
"Brother… why is it a coffin?"
Zhang San spat on the ground.
"You don't get it. Coffins mean wealth and promotion! The treasure has to be inside."
Li Si's eyes gleamed even brighter. He grabbed one end of the coffin and tugged with all his strength. The wood had long since rotted, brittle with age, and halfway out, it cracked and collapsed with a sharp snap.
A clay jar rolled out, hitting the ground with a crash, shattering into pieces. From the shards spilled a pile of copper coins, green with verdigris.
"Boss! There's really money… you're brilliant!"
Li Si's face flushed red with excitement. He crouched, scooping the coins into his arms. The coins were old and corroded, their surfaces dark and rough.
"Boss… these coins must have been here forever. They're all rusty…"
Zhang San snatched the coins, shoving them haphazardly into his own pockets.
"That's enough! You two, drag out every coffin in here!"
The torchlight wavered over the jagged walls as another stone recess was pried open. Inside was another small coffin. Once broken open, it revealed a tightly wrapped burlap bundle. Zhang San and Li Si's eyes sparkled with anticipation. Layer by layer, they peeled it open.
"This treasure is packed carefully, layer upon layer… oh, there's another one!" Li Si murmured excitedly as he worked. The flickering torchlight gleamed off Zhang San's shiny, eager face.
"Stop babbling. Open it. This is the last layer, right?"
Li Si reached for it, but as the burlap unraveled, his hand froze. Inside wasn't gold or jewels—it was a desiccated child's corpse. The skin had shriveled tight against the bones.
A cloud of grayish dust puffed out, striking Li Si in the face. He staggered back, gagging violently, his face draining of color as he bent over, retching uncontrollably.
He coughed and gagged for what felt like an eternity. The musty, metallic stench of dried flesh and ancient dust burned his nostrils, forcing tears from his eyes.
"Ugh… ugh…" he spat repeatedly, pale and shaking."What… what the hell is this?"
The torchlight flickered across the tiny corpse. Its shriveled fingers curled like brittle twigs. Zhang San's grin slowly faded, his brow furrowed as he muttered under his breath:
"Bad luck…"
Li Si managed a shallow breath and leaned closer, face tightening in revulsion.
"Brother… it's a child."
Zhang San said nothing. He kicked at the broken coffin beside him. Its bottom had rotted through; the torchlight revealed scraps of cloth, a lone coin, and a tiny fragment of bone—like a finger.
Zhang San froze for a moment. Li Si saw it too, voice trembling:
"Brother… these coffins… they're all tiny."
They exchanged a glance. Earlier, their focus had been on money; now they noticed that every coffin was barely half the size of an adult, narrow and clearly not meant for grown bodies.
Li Si's throat moved, hesitant.
"Should… we open another one?"
Zhang San said nothing, only gesturing toward the next recess. Li Si pried the stone free, revealing another identical small coffin. Gritting his teeth, he dragged it out.
Snap.
It broke apart immediately, revealing another small bundle of cloth.
Li Si's hands slowed. He glanced at Zhang San.
Zhang San's expression was grim."Open it."
With shaking fingers, Li Si peeled back the last layer. Another tiny skeleton stared back—this time no flesh remained, just a delicate frame, the oversized skull's hollow sockets catching the torchlight. Li Si sank to the ground, stunned.
Silence fell over the cave. The torch sputtered, casting dancing shadows across the walls. The rows of stone recesses, each sealed with heavy slabs, lined the walls like a multitude of black, unblinking eyes.
Wei had remained at the back the whole time, saying nothing. He was thinking hard. Chun had led him here, so what secret was hidden in this place?
He lift his torch to illuminate the depths. The farther he shone, the more rows appeared.
Li Si's face paled with each step of the torchlight.
"So many…" he whispered hoarsely.
Zhang San swallowed hard, then kicked open the nearest slab.
Clatter!
Inside, another tiny coffin. The air grew thick with the smell of ancient bones. Li Si's torch trembled in his hands. Finally, he whispered:
"Brother… this place…"
His voice cracked as he glanced at the endless rows of stone niches.
Zhang San ground his teeth, voice sharp with rage and disbelief:
"Damn it… this is the Cave of Dead Children."
"Who's in there?" Li Si suddenly shouted.